Kajukiro Chronicles
by max7345
Summary: Kajukiro's always known lonliness, even more so when his home town, Hanagakure was destroyed by Orochimaru and his army. Finding refuge in Konoha, the young Kajukiro starts over and becomes the first cross-bred ninja in history.
1. Chapter 1: New Ninja, Same Village

-1It had to have been years since Hanagakure was destroyed by Orochimaru's recent attack. The onslaught was bloody and horrific as the highly skilled ninja were taken by surprise. The aftermath was even worse, for the entire village had been burned to the ground and nothing was left of it. However, among the ash of the city and deceased bodies of the attackers and the victims, one teenager stood wearing the Hanagakure shinobi headband, Kajukiro Kunazama, of the Kunazama clan had been the only survivor.

Having nowhere else to turn, he went to Konoha, an ally to his home village, in search of a new home. After hearing his story, they gratefully allowed him to become a resident in the Konoha village. Of course, he'd have to start his ninja career all over again; meaning that he had to go through the academy once more.

Iruka, the main tutor, was role calling the names of his latest students, "Mauro, Kenshi?" Iruka asked. "Yeah, yeah. I'm here." A lazy, tired-looking girl replied. Iruka moved on, "Saru, Shinji?" An eager-looking boy replied, "Of course." Iruka chuckled at Shinji's enthusiasm before moving on, "Kunazama, Kajukiro?" There was no response. Again, Iruka asked, "Kunazama, Kajukiro?" Again, there was no response.

Iruka lowered the role call sheet, revealing his frustrated looking eyes and a huge scar gliding across the bridge of his nose. Upon looking toward Kajukiro's usual seat, Iruka discovered that he wasn't there. "Shit! Not again!" Iruka muttered under his breath before giving a sigh and continuing, "And on graduation day too…"

Meanwhile, in a training area hundreds of feet from the academy, Kajukiro was going through his usual course of training. He appeared to be in deep focus as he had his eyes closed and was listening intently on his surroundings. He heard it; a sound in the wind activated his reflexes as he spun around and, seemingly out of nowhere, pulled out an iron kunai knife and threw it in the direction he heard the noise.

Soon, the sound of his knife striking a solid object reached his ears. "_Only a tree._" He thought to himself before hearing another noise, this time, something heavy moving closer from above. He quickly looked up, only to see a cleverly placed log tied by a vine heading straight toward him.

Reacting quickly, Kajukiro jumped in the air, pulled out a kunai from under his sleeve, spun around in mid-air, and released it. As the kunai headed toward the vine, the sunlight reflected off of a small wire connected to the knife. The Kunai went past the vine, just missing it. Kajukiro quickly threw his hand sideways. As if being controlled by his movements, the Kunai quickly changed direction, and sliced through the vine sideways.

The log fell to the ground and slid a few feet before coming to a stop. Kajukiro landed on the ground, as the kunai he just threw reeled back under his sleeve, and was just about ready to continue when a beeping noise suddenly went off. Kajukiro pulled back his cloak sleeve before pulling back his jacket sleeve underneath it, revealing a watch that was flashing red. "Damn, I'm late!" Kajukiro exclaimed before pulling something with his other hand, and pulling out the knife he threw earlier from the tree. This knife also reeled underneath his sleeve and he dashed over to the academy.

Kajukiro ran through the town, desperately attempting to get to the academy. "Hey, Kajukiro. Want some ramen today?" an old man greeted. Kajukiro continued to run as he turned around and answered, "No time, Academy graduation, 5 minutes late, gotta go!" The old man waved at the hurrying ninja and replied, "Very well, another time then." And headed into the nearby ramen stand.

Finally he spotted the familiar building with the tree in front of it. Not wanting to waste any more time, he pulled out a kunai from under his sleeve and threw it at the branch of the tree. After a direct hit, Kajukiro hopped in the air and let the wire reel him toward the kunai, allowing him to actually fly toward the tree. Once there, Kajukiro grabbed the branch, pried the knife out, and flipped off, falling toward the nearest window.

Meanwhile, inside the classroom, it was as if Iruka was expecting Kajukiro as he told one of his present students to open the window. The student did do, only to be introduced by Kajukiro flying toward him. The kid screamed in terror and ducked just as Kajukiro grabbed onto the window pane and swung into the room and landed right in his seat. "Here." Kajukiro said as if he wasn't late at all and his name just came up on role call.

Iruka sighed and said to Kajukiro, "You're late…again." Kajukiro scratched the back of his head nervously and explained, "Yeah, about that; I was training again and lost track of time. Also, this watch you gave me yesterday must be broken. I swear I set the alarm five minutes back." However, as if Iruka had ignored him, he replied, "I don't get you Kajukiro." Kajukiro just tilted his head in confusion before Iruka continued, "Your grades are perfect, you've mastered every single technique I've taught you on the first go, clearly, by what we've just seen, you time your movements perfectly, and yet you STILL find a way to disappoint me."

"Ah, I can explain that too--" Kajukiro began before Iruka threw a file at him and said, "Oh really? Explain this then!" Kajukiro opened the filed and observed his attendance records. "Since the day you arrived up to now, you've been five minutes late, every…single…day." Kajukiro's jaw dropped in fear as he knew that his tutor was right, after looking at his attendance records himself and going through his memory.

Kajukiro closed the file and Iruka was staring scoldingly at him as he said, "Well? Come on, we're all waiting to hear your explanations." Kajukiro had a nervous and fearful face for a moment but soon calmed down and explained, "Well, Hanagakure's academy times were always at 8, while Konoha's is at 7:55.

"Basically, now that I live in Konoha, I haven't gotten used to the new time schedule; despite the fact that I've been here for two years now. To resolve this problem, you gave me this watch just yesterday, sensei, and I set it for 7:55 accordingly. Unfortunately, something must have gone wrong because it started going off at 8. Plus, it's not like I didn't have good reasons; I've been training all those times, honing my skills to be the best they can."

The rest of the class appeared satisfied. However, Iruka did not. "That's a common excuse for tardiness, Kajukiro; training. And I've always told people this, if you must train, then train after class." Everyone looked at each other, knowing that Iruka had a point.

Kajukiro, however, had enough stalling and replied, "Whatever; did I graduate or what?" Iruka looked shocked at first but then replied in a regretful tone, "Your tardiness has taken a huge toll on your record, but your grades and skills are flawless. So, I have no choice but to graduate you. However, you came close; if you'd have come through that window just one second later, I'd have no choice but to fail you." Iruka had then pulled out a Konoha headband, the symbol of a graduate ninja, and threw it to Kajukiro. The ninja caught it, despite his shock at how close he came to failing, and the fact that Iruka actually allowed him to graduate. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret this though. But, you've graduated, you're free to go."

Kajukiro got up, bowed, and headed for the door as Iruka informed him, "I start enlisting teams at 7. Oh, and Kajukiro, Don't be late this time." Kajukiro tied the headband on his straw hat, just above his Hanagakure ninja headband before turning to Iruka and replying, "Don't worry, Hanagakure had there team listings at 7 too; I won't be late." With that, Kajukiro tipped his hat to Iruka and left the room.

Kajukiro headed over to the ramen stand where he passed the old man when Shinji and Kenshi suddenly got in his way, staring down at him as if they were planning to fight him. "Can I help you two with something?" Kajukiro asked them both. Kenshi turned to Shinji and asked him, "What are we doing here, Shinji? Why'd you want to butt-into this guy's business?" Shinji just smirked and replied over-confidently, "This guy thinks he's so good, just because he survived the downfall of Hanagakure. I'll show him that he's not so tough." Kenshi sighed and groaned, clearly showing that she had no interest in the matter.

"Just leave him alone, Shinji, the poor guy's been through enough already." Shinji looked appalled at Kenshi and replied, "What do you mean, 'he's been through enough?' He's top ninja here, and I'm telling ya, he doesn't deserve the--" However, Shinji was interrupted as Kajukiro suddenly spoke, "If it's a fight you want, I'd be more than happy to oblige." Kenshi sighed and groaned, "Boys…" However, Shinji was overjoyed and pulled out a few kunai before saying, "Alright! Let's have at it!" However, Kajukiro held up his hand and replied, "Not here, the training grounds."

Shinji lost it and shouted in anger, "Oh, come on! What, afraid we'll beat you in the town?" Kajukiro chuckled before shaking his head and replying, "No, it just wouldn't feel right beating up two kids who're 8 years younger than me in public. That and I feel a forest region gives you two a better chance." Shinji was suddenly confused, "Wait…you want us to win?"

Kajukiro chuckled again before replying, "No, I don't WANT you two to win, I just like to make sparring matches fair. If we're in a forest region, my chance of winning remains the same, while your chance increases to my level. That way, we have an equal level of victory. Being Konoha ninja, you'll be surrounded by plant life, which is what most of your jutsu require anyway. This one thing alone increases your chance of victory. However, you'll be facing against me, and I don't go down easy; I'm capable of fighting my best in any environment, no sweat. So, I take it we have an agreement? I won't fight you anywhere else."

Kenshi looked nervously at Shinji, knowing that he was always willing to go the extra mile. Her fears were realized when he nodded confidently and said, "You got that! Heh and you better prepare to go down hard, because we don't go down easy either." Kajukiro thumbed his hat and replied, "Looking forward to it." before heading off to his house to prepare. Once Kajukiro was out of earshot, Kenshi turned to Shinji, punched his head in, and asked, "Shinji, what's wrong with you? Don't you have ANY common sense? Or does that ego of yours ALWAYS have to get us in trouble?"

Shinji clutched the top of his head in pain as he turned to Kenshi and replied, "Kenshi, relax. Don't forget that your clan's famous for your strength and ability to summon powerful weapons, and my clan's famous for our invulnerability. We've got this sucker on the ropes, and he doesn't even know it." Kenshi turned in anger and huffed. Why she let him drag her into trouble all the time, she had no idea. "Oh, come on, Kenshi. You know we can both take him on. Honestly, you're the only one who's strong enough to actually hurt me; not even Lady Tsunade can deal any damage to me, and believe me, she's tried."

Kenshi knew this; she was much stronger than the Hokage, but never took any pride in it. However, knowing that Shinji wasn't going to give up until she agreed, and that he wasn't going to listen to her attempts to talk sense to him, she sighed and said, "Fine. But all blame goes to you if we get in trouble for this." Shinji nodded and agreed before taking Kenshi with him to the training grounds to wait for Kajukiro.

The interior of Kajukiro's house was a bit small; almost everything was in one room, with the exception of the bathroom. The small space of the house itself was perfect according to Kajukiro's standards. He never liked huge buildings. He sat at the table and thought things over for a bit. Why challenge him now? He spent years of training before this and was top-ninja in the class.

He had brains, speed, and strength; all three qualities necessary for a high-level shinobi. Yes, they were definitely up to something. Or at least Shinji was, Kenshi appeared as if she wanted nothing to do with it. Kajukiro knew they were just kids, but he decided that he wasn't going to go easy on them just because of that. After all, rule number one in Hanagakure was to never underestimate the opponent, no matter what age, gender, or intelligence level they are. His heart gave a jolt of sorrow as his thoughts of Hanagakure reminded him of his old team. Oh, how he wished he'd have been kinder toward Phillip. He shook the memories out of his head before heading out toward the training grounds.

Kenshi and Shinji were waiting in the training grounds. "How much longer do you think he's gonna be?" Kenshi asked. Shinji turned and replied, "Beats me, but we both know he'll be here. That moron'll fall for anything if given the right bait." Kenshi turned to Shinji and asked, "Why do you keep calling him things like moron and idiot? He got perfect scores on everything Iruka threw at him; the guy's a genius, simple as that." Before Shinji could reply, someone grabbed Kenshi from behind and pulled her out of view.

"Kenshi!" Shinji called out in fear as he rushed over to try to save her. However, she had disappeared by the time he got there. "This must be Kajukiro's doing." Shinji muttered. Then, suddenly, a voice that seemed to come from everywhere replied, "Oh please. Are you comparing me with that little weakling? Foolish boy! Kajukiro is nothing compared to me." Suddenly, someone grabbed Shinji from behind and dragged him out of view as well.

Kajukiro finally arrived minutes later. "Alright you two, I'm here. What'd ya say we get this over with?" he announced as he walked through the area. "Guys? Hel--" he began before spotting his two opponents trapped in a web-like pattern of strings, their mouths gagged as they squirmed; their muffled cries for help barely audible. "Oh shit." Kajukiro groaned as he saw their predicament. He looked around, knowing that an enemy was nearby.

Then he heard it; leaves rustling from behind. He slowly began to turn around. He caught a figure moving toward him in his peripheral vision. He pulled out a kunai, spun around, and blocked the attack with it. His opponent looked familiar; however, all Kajukiro could see was his silhouette, and what appeared to be the rim of eye-glasses. "Who are you?" Kajukiro asked the man calmly. Kajukiro was always excellent at keep his composure during battle.

The man laughed and replied, "What don't recognize your own cousin?" Kajukiro's eyes widened in shock as he heard those words. He looked back at Kenshi and Shinji; they were trapped in sticky strings. Of course, now it made sense. Kajukiro's cousin was nicknamed Strings for his ability to manipulate their structure using his chakra.

Strings usually bested Kajukiro in every way, and constantly laughed at his failures. However, Strings died during Hanagakure's downfall; Kajukiro witnessed it himself. There could be only one explanation. "This is Orochimaru's doing, isn't it? There's no other way anyone could take a kunai to the forehead and live." Kajukiro asked, his voice breaking as he held back the tears created by the thought of his cousin being revived for Orochimaru's selfish and evil needs.

Strings nodded and replied, "That's right. You've gotten much smarter since we've last met, Kajukiro-kun, and your strength…I'm surprised we've managed to keep our blades locked this entire time with neither of us willing to break the hold." Kajukiro looked and saw what he was talking about; they've been holding each other off ever since Strings made his attempt to strike. Kajukiro wiped the tears from his face before turning his attention back to his cousin and promising, "Don't worry, cousin, I'll make sure you rest in piece. It's the least I could do after what Orochimaru's done."

"Thank you, Kajukiro." Strings replied. Kajukiro nodded, and with that, broke the hold, and allowed the real fight to begin. Strings dashed at Kajukiro, but he was ready and flipped over Strings, spun around, and made an attempt to attack. However, Strings quickly blocked the attack from behind. Kajukiro's kunai bounced off of Strings' and Strings spun around and flung it straight at Kajukiro. However, upon making contact with Kajukiro's torso, the kunai simply bounced off. Kajukiro's jacket under his cloak had Kunai knives lined up inside it, giving him armor from most attacks.

Kajukiro took this moment and threw another kunai past Strings, and allowed it to hit a tree. With Strings defenseless, this couldn't fail. Kajukiro released a small thread and flew at his cousin, kunai in hand, and simply replaced the missing kunai from his forehead. Kajukiro removed the wire from that kunai and continued flying toward the tree. As usual, he landed on his feet, and pried the kunai out, keeping his stance on the tree with chakra focus.

Kajukiro looked at Strings, just in time to see him fall again. Just change the area to a burning village, and it would've been complete déjà vu for Kajukiro. Kajukiro could see a smile on Strings' face, as if his cousin was proud to be put to rest by an ever-improving Kajukiro. Kajukiro got off the tree and walked over to Strings. He knelt down and pulled off a red tag on Strings' back before picking him up. "Orochimaru…he will pay for this." Kajukiro muttered as he held his cousin's body I his arms again.

Two screams from behind him revealed that Strings' chakra had died, releasing Shinji and Kenshi from their web-like prison. Shinji stood up and said rudely, "Now that the freak is dead, what do ya say we get on with out sparring match?" However, Kajukiro did not reply and Kenshi, once again, punched Shinji's head in and scolded, "Would you leave him alone already!?"

Kajukiro just stood there, mourning the loss of his cousin once again. "Are you alright, Kajukiro-kun?" Kenshi asked in a sad voice. Kajukiro didn't even move as he replied, "This man saved my life once. It was during the downfall of Hanagakure…he was exhausted and I rushed up to help him. However, a ninja snuck up behind me, but only he noticed him. He pushed me out of the way and took a kunai to the head…death was instantaneous for him. He was a true shinobi; he didn't deserve to be used by Orochimaru in such a cruel way. The dead are meant to rest, not stick around."

Kajukiro turned his head slightly and asked them, "Tell me, Shinji, Kenshi…what are your ninja ways; what do you live for every day as ninja?" Kenshi gave a small grin and replied, "To never fall behind and to be there when my comrades need me most, that is my nindo; my ninja way." Shinji, however, gave a smug grin and answered, "To be the best, that is my nindo; my ninja way." Kajukiro turned back to Strings and replied to Shinji, "That is no ninja way, Shinji. A ninja way is something you live by; it's a promise to yourself. Something you're willing to put your life on the line for. Something you're willing to die for. To become the best is not a ninja way, it is only a goal."

Kajukiro began walking away when Shinji suddenly shouted, "Oh yeah, punk? What's your ninja way then, huh?" Kenshi punched Shinji's head in again and scolded, "Knock it off, you jerk!" However, Kajukiro kept walking as he answered, "My ninja way…before today, I didn't have one." At those words, Shinji gave a harsh grin of victory, thinking that Kajukiro was just a hypocrite, until Kajukiro continued, "But now, I think I'm willing to go back to my old one: To protect this village and all who live here…even at the cost of my own life." These words struck a chord within both Shinji ad Kenshi; Kajukiro, was willing to die for his village, a highly honorable shinobi way. "Who knows…I may be able to hold myself to it this time." Kajukiro finished as he walked out of the training grounds.

"Now that is a true shinobi." Kenshi commented as Kajukiro walked away. Shinji looked down, disappointed in himself; he was just jealous of Kajukiro, while Kajukiro defended both him and Kenshi with his life. Now, the once died fire that once ignited Kajukiro's heart as returned, thanks to a reminder that he still lives for a reason; and that reason was to protect his new home.


	2. Chapter 2: An Old Friend Joins the Ranks

The next day, as promised, Kajukiro returned to his school, on time for once, to be assigned to a squad

The next day, as promised, Kajukiro returned to his school, on time for once, to be assigned to a squad. Shinji was still deep in thought about what had happened yesterday, although his relationship with Kajukiro hadn't changed a bit. Kenshi was laid back, as usual; she didn't care much for school, and appeared to get much more serious only when the situation called for it.

Kajukiro was hunched forward in his chair, his elbows on the desk, fingers locked, and thumbs supporting his chin; he always went into this position when he was focusing on something else instead of what was going on. Kajukiro couldn't get yesterday's battle out of his head; what was Orochimaru's motive? Why revive Strings only to invent a last-minute trap for Kajukiro.

Orochimaru's motives were always unknown and mysterious, but this recent event wasn't making much sense to Kajukiro at the moment. Knowing he'd be bound to figure it out sooner or later, he decided not to think about it too much, and leaned back in his seat; just in time to hear Shinji's, Kenshi's, and his own name called aloud as Squad 34.

Kajukiro glanced at Shinji and noticed it immediately; Shinji was furious to be on the same team as Kajukiro. Kenshi, however, didn't have any reaction, as she appeared to have fallen asleep at her desk. She finally awoke when Iruka noticed this and chucked a piece of chalk at her, striking her in the center of her forehead. She awoke immediately after being struck and randomly asked, "Who won?" Iruka sighed with disproval toward Kenshi before continuing to assign squads.

After realizing the situation, she leaned up to a still furious Shinji and asked, "Hey, um…I know we're on the same squad, but who else are we with?" Shinji's only answer was a glare of anger in Kajukiro's direction. Kenshi looked at who Shinji was looking at and commented, "Well, now isn't that a coincidence? Of course, it also makes perfect sense." Shinji turned to Kenshi and asked, "What do you mean, it makes perfect sense?"

Kenshi sat back down and answered nervously, "Well, they like to balance out the teams by pairing the best student with the worst student and, well, I've been sleeping through most of the classes; so I would be considered the worst student here. Then Kajukiro's passed everything Iruka's thrown at him, so, despite him being constantly late, Kajukiro would be considered the best student here."

Shinji groaned and asked, "Are you telling me that it's your fault that he's on our team?" However, before Kenshi could answer, Kajukiro spoke up, "If you have a problem with me, then get over it." This response made Shinji furious as he suddenly sprang up from his seat, rushed up to Kajukiro, grabbed him threateningly by the shirt, and shouted, "I've had enough of your big ego you little rat!" Kajukiro kept his cool as he showed and felt no fear in Shinji's vain attempt at intimidation.

"Shinji, knock it off!" Iruka scolded; the entire room had their eyes on Kajukiro and Shinji. Kajukiro replied, "My ego has nothing to do with what I just said. We're a team now, like it or not. I told you to get over whatever problem you have against me; for if you continue to hold this unnecessary grudge, the enemy might kill the entire squad before the mission even starts. The behavior and emotions of one person can have a dramatic affect on the entire team. That's why I asked you to get over your problem with me, because it won't help anyone, but it could cost us our lives."

Shinji continued to glare at Kajukiro, but realized that he was right and released him. Shinji continued to glare at his new teammate before huffing in anger and walking back to his seat and sitting down. Everyone knew that nothing more was going to happen and decided to turn their attention back to Iruka, who got back to enlisting squads.

Kenshi looked at Shinji and then at Kajukiro, knowing that those two definitely weren't going to get along anytime soon. However, she also knew that this was more Shinji's fault than Kajukiro's; Shinji was hot-headed, and always got jealous easily, while Kajukiro appeared to be calm and always took a logical step in every situation. Indeed, it was clear that Shinji's high-maintenance personality would definitely make things difficult for them all.

Once they were dismissed, Kajukiro, Kenshi, and Shinji took a little walk together, though none of them said anything to each other. Iruka reported the squads to Tsunade, the village's Hokage. Another man was in the room, though he didn't speak just yet. "However, I don't think it was a very good idea pairing up Kajukiro with Shinji; they didn't exactly hit it off." Iruka informed. Tsunade stood up and replied, "It's not your place to complain about the assigning system, Iruka. They will learn to get along sooner or later; and Kajukiro's smart, he's got experience, so he could teach Shinji a thing or two about the real ninja world."

"I have no doubt about Kajukiro's skills and smarts, my lady," Iruka replied. "It's Shinji I'm worried about; I doubt he'll even accept what lessons Kajukiro has to offer." Tsunade gave Iruka a glare and demanded, "Scholar, think with logic! Those three are among the best Gennin in Konoha; they'll make an excellent team once they've learned to get along and trust each other; and one way or the other, they WILL learn to do so."

Tsunade turned to the other man and addressed, "Kunshi, Rai." Rai nodded and replied, "Yes, m'amm?" Rai looked a bit like Kajukiro, minus the hat and sword, and with different patterns on his cloak. Rai had black eyes and black hair, a scar searing across his face, though missing his eyes completely, and his nose appeared as if it was broken at least five times during his life. "You are assigned as the Jounin leader of squad 34."

Kajukiro and his new team were heading toward the food store. As they rounded the corner that would lead them right to it, a large, scruffy dog suddenly launched itself at Kajukiro, head butting him just below the blade of his hat. Caught completely off guard, Kajukiro fell backwards as the dog landed on its feet. Kenshi gasped in shock that a dog just attacked Kajukiro out of nowhere, and in worry for Kajukiro's sake. Shinji just raised an eyebrow, finding it quite odd instead of surprising.

Kajukiro heard Kenshi's gasp and reassured in a dazed voice, "Don't worry, Kenshi; this happens to me all the time." Once Kajukiro snapped out of it, he sat up and rubbed the pain out of his face. Kajukiro took another look at the dog and recognized it immediately. "Hey…Don't I know you?" Kajukiro asked the dog, whose answer was a bark followed by another head butt to the face.

Kajukiro fell back again and concluded in a dazed voice, "Oh yeah, there's only one dog I know who'd rather bash his skull against me than bite." Kajukiro sat up again when Kenshi asked, "What does this dog have against you?" Kajukiro looked up at her with a smile and replied, "Absolutely nothing; animals just don't seem to like me for some reason."

As soon as Kajukiro explained this to her, a shadow loomed over them as someone rushed by. "There you are, Hanahoka," the voice of the owner of the dog said. "Sorry for the trouble, guys; he tends to get out when I'm not looking." Kajukiro recognized the voice almost immediately as he stood up and replied, "My, it's been a long time, hasn't it, Tatetorena?"

Tatetorena recognized Kajukiro's voice immediately, as well as the Hanagakure headband on his hat. "K-Kajukiro-kun, is that really you?" Kajukiro gave a small chuckle and took his hat off, showing that he was, in fact, the old friend Tatetorena hung out with while Hanagakure was still around.

"Who else could it be?" Kajukiro asked, keeping his usual grin. Kajukiro raised his hand as if asking for Tatetorena to do his part in their friendship handshake that they used to do whenever they had met or said farewell. Tatetorena responded by clapping his hand into Kajukiro's and gripping it tightly. "It has been a long time." Tatetorena replied.

Suddenly, Kenshi and Shinji went into an attack stance, thinking that Tatetorena was another of Orochimaru's puppets. Kajukiro noticed this, broke the hold he and Tatetorena had, turned around, and reassured, "Wait, wait! He's not one of Orochimaru's puppets!" Kenshi and Shinji looked a tad confused, yet only Shinji asked, "How do you know?" Kajukiro glanced at Tatetorena before turning back to Shinji and explaining, "He moved to Konoha months before Orochimaru even had a chance to strike Hanagakure."

Shinji and Kenshi sighed in relief and got out of their combative stances after learning this. Tatetorena, however, was somewhat confused and asked, "Why would they think I'm one of Orochimaru's puppets?" Kajukiro lowered his head sadly and explained, "He…got to Strings. And I had to fight him yesterday."

Tatetorena was taken aback by this news and apologized for his ignorance. Tatetorena looked at Shinji and Kenshi and almost recognized them immediately as well as he suddenly accused, "Hey…wait a minute…you two are the ones who wrecked my training center last week!" Shinji and Kenshi gasped and shuddered in fear as their troublemaker identity had been discovered. Kajukiro appeared to have had his mind taken off Strings for a moment as he turned to his teammates, groaned, and commented, "You guys just can't keep out of trouble, can ya?"

Tatetorena suddenly lunged himself at Shinji and Kenshi in anger, but Kajukiro held him back and said, "My apologies, Tatetorena. However, friends as we are, I cannot allow you to harm my new teammates." As these words reached Tatetorena, he decided to calm down. Feeling that he was no longer a threat, Kajukiro released him. Tatetorena looked at Kajukiro and said, "You mean…you guys are squad 34? Heh, man, this is not good for your sakes." Kajukiro tilted his head in confusion and asked, "What're you talking about?" Tatetorena appeared to be fearful, but broke the news to Kajukiro, "Word is that your squad leader is Rai Kunshi."

At these words, Kenshi and Shinji widened their eyes in fear. Kajukiro, however, was in the dark and replied, "I'm sorry, but I haven't been here long enough to learn of his reputation." Tatetorena had then informed, "He's the cruelest Jounin in Konoha. None of his squads lasted for more than three weeks before they were disbanded as ninja. None of the shinobi under his guidance had even made it to the Chuunin exams. With him as your squad leader, you might as well give up becoming a ninja right here and now."

Everyone looked at Kajukiro to see his reaction. All but Tatetorena became surprised as he calmly said, "Sounds tough. But where's the fun in something that's easy?" Tatetorena chuckled and commented, "Oh yeah, you're definitely Kajukiro; always calm, no matter how difficult the task is. Come to think of it, he does sound a lot like Kusabana, doesn't he?" Kajukiro gave a grin and answered, "Yeah, he sure does, and even I managed to convince her to let me partake in the Hanagakure Chuunin exams."

Hanahoka barked, reminding everyone that he was still here. Kajukiro noticed the wagging tail and commented, "He's a bit friendlier than I remember. I remember when he used to always chase me around the village, trying to bash his skull against me. Heck, I remember when he tried to attack Phillip that one time." Tatetorena nodded and informed, "Yeah, they have great animal trainers here. But man, Hanahoka here nearly destroyed the place I sent him to in the process. He can still be quite vicious, but he's nicer now than he was way back when."

Hanahoka barked happily in agreement. Suddenly, a small, furry, black head with a white stripe starting from the center and going down the back poked out from Kajukiro's schoolbag. The skunk climbed out of the bag and onto Kajukiro's shoulder, who gave a surprised shout as he felt it climbing on him. Surprisingly, instead of spraying or attacking Kajukiro, it nudged its head against his. Kajukiro chuckled before tickling the skunk's chin and saying, "Scooter, you silly little skunk, what're you doing outside my school bag? Did you want to say hello to Tatetorena too?" Kenshi looked a bit surprised and muttered, "Ok, this is random, but a bit cute."

Shinji gave a suspicious look and reminded, "I thought you said animals didn't seem to like you for some reason." Kajukiro turned to Shinji and explained, "They don't; but Scooter here is, pretty much, the only exception. He used to belong to my previous teammate, Phillip. However, after Hanagakure's downfall, there wasn't anyone to care for this skunk anymore, except for me. So, I took him with me, to Konoha, as a pet. He's really the only animal that's ever liked me since we first met."

Tatetorena looked at Kajukiro and asked, "Well, he's cute and all, but what was he doing in your schoolbag?" Kajukiro turned back to Tatetorena and answered, "Well, I usually keep him at home; but I felt like taking him outside today without attracting too much attention." Tatetorena gave this some thought before replying, "Makes sense. Anyway, I still have to get Hanahoka home. You four are welcome to walk with us if you like." Kenshi tilted her head, re-counted everyone, and questioned, "Four?" Kajukiro simply pointed to Scooter as an answer for Kenshi. Kenshi chuckled nervously and said, "Oh, right. Sorry about that, little guy."

As Tatetorena turned to leave, Kajukiro, Kenshi, and Shinji followed him, with Scooter riding on Kajukiro's shoulder and Hanahoka walking by Tatetorena's side. Once at Tatetorena's training center, or what was left of it, Tatetorena opened the deformed door and commanded his dog to get inside. After seeing the excessive damage done to the training center, both Kajukiro's and Scooter's mouths dropped to the floor. Kajukiro turned to his two teammates and asked, "What on earth did you two do?"

Kenshi chuckled nervously for a bit before shooting a glare at Shinji and explaining, "Shinji was getting on my nerves, and I tried to get after him for it, but he kept dodging, it eventually led us here, and well…" Kenshi turned to the destroyed training center before concluding, "This is the end result. But he's obviously been fixing it up; it looks much better than it did before." Kajukiro and Scooter tried to imagine how much worse the damage could've been, but gave up on it early.

Kajukiro began walking over to the training center and offered to fix it up a little more. After accepting his help, Kenshi and Shinji approached Tatetorena. As Kajukiro worked on the destroyed training center Kenshi asked Tatetorena, "So, how'd you and Kajukiro meet?"

Tatetorena kept an eye on Kajukiro's progress as he answered, "Oh, we've been friends ever since we met in Hanagakure's ninja academy. We both can depend on each other whenever we need to. In fact, it was me who trained Kajukiro in his taijutsu; and most of his ninjutsu, he learned from the academy." Shinji tilted his head in curiosity as he questioned, "Most?"

Tatetorena turned to Shinji and replied, "Yup, there're two jutsu he created himself, and one other jutsu that was passed down father-to-son." Shinji got very interested with this and asked, "What're these three jutsu of his?" Tatetorena turned back to Kajukiro's progress, gave a slight smirk, and replied, "You'll see them sooner or later."

Both Shinji and Kenshi groaned in disappointment after being held in suspense for that period of time, only to be told to wait and see. "However," Tatetorena began, perking up the interest of Shinji and Kenshi once more. "The rarity of seeing his family's jutsu is incredible; as it's so powerful that he only uses it as an absolute last resort. And, well…let's just say you don't want to be his opponent when he actually does use it."

"It's that powerful?" Kenshi asked in astonishment. Tatetorena answered, "Yes, it is. I remember when he was actually forced to use it against me in the Hanagakure Chuunin exams. I had him right where I wanted him, then he did those three symbols…after that, all I remember was an explosion of power, then the fight was over before I knew it, and Kajukiro was the victor." Shinji and Kenshi looked far more astonished now. However, Tatetorena turned to them and reassured, "But we're still good friends; things like that are expected in the Chuunin exams, and we both fought well enough, and smart enough, to be promoted to Chuunin rank."

As Kenshi and Shinji stood in astonishment, having no more questions for Tatetorena, Kajukiro stopped working for a moment to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Scooter, noticing this, climbed back into Kajukiro's school bag for a moment before climbing back out with a small towel. Once on top of his head, Scooter began wiping the sweat off Kajukiro's forehead with the towel for him. Kajukiro chuckled at Scooter's cuteness before thanking him and getting back to work.

Meanwhile, Tsunade was filling Rai in on his current squad. "This squad's made up of the finest three Gennin in Konoha. Kenshi has strength that overpowers mine by ten times; Shinji's skin cannot be penetrated by any weapon, not to mention his inability to suppress his emotions appears to actually be a strong point for him. And finally, Kajukiro; possibly the best shinobi to set foot in this village…aside from a large majority of school tardiness, Kajukiro's grades are top-notch, his skills surpass that of Hatake, Kakashi, his accuracy reaches a brand-new high, and his level of speed is incredibly high, although he could still be considered slower than Rock Lee."

Rai gave a slight smile; perhaps these shinobi were just who he was looking for. Perhaps they could last longer than the others. Tsunade continued speaking, "However, there appears to be a bit of trouble between Shinji and Kajukiro. Shinji can't seem to stand him, and almost attacked him earlier in the day. So, therefore, to teach them to overcome this flaw, I am recommending you…to use the bell test."


	3. Chapter 3: The Bell Test Begins

A thick fog surrounded the area as a five-year-old boy began walking around, looking for someone. In the distance, he spotted a silhouette of a man lying on the round. The boy recognized this man as his father and rushed up to him. The boy desperately shook his father in an attempt to wake him, but with no success; his father had died. The boy had then noticed that more of his family was lying on the ground as well. He tried to wake them too, but they all were also dead, died from a plague that had recently infected the village and had already taken many lives.

The boy looked up to see a standing silhouette, for once. Feeling a spark of hope, the boy rushed up to the distant figure. Upon reaching it, he was suddenly seventeen and looked exactly like Kajukiro. The figure turned out to be his cousin, Strings. As Kajukiro approached Strings, he pushed Kajukiro out of the way. Kajukiro fell to the ground and looked up just in time to see a kunai knife sticking out of his cousin's forehead. Strings fell to the ground and Kajukiro looked in the direction the kunai appeared to have come from.

As he faced this direction, the fog turned to smoke, which was revealed through the occasional clearness that Kajukiro was in a burning village. In the distance Kajukiro could see Strings' attacker; a man who had numerous holes on his pants and shirt. His long, black, greasy hair just visible through the smoke, but his face constantly blocked, with the exception of his mouth, which was giving an evil grin.

Kajukiro sprang up in a sitting position, having just woken up from his recurring nightmare. Kajukiro was panting heavily, as if he'd just ran a few hundred miles. Tears of sorrow ran down his face as reality had begun to set in once more. Ever since he was five, Kajukiro's family, with the exception of Strings, had died from a plague that had infected Hanagakure at that time. Not wanting to go through that again, the rest of the village became his family and, hence, the origin of his nindo. Kajukiro still had recurring nightmares about the death of his family, however, and never really got over it.

He recognized Strings' attacker as Naifu. Naifu despised Kajukiro with every fiber of his being, and always held a very strong grudge against him, stronger than even Shinji's jealously. The tragedy of his past left his mid, however, as he spotted Scooter curled up and sleeping peacefully at the foot of his bed. Seeing Scooter reminded Kajukiro not to dwell on his nightmares and to always be prepared for the day ahead.

Remembering that he was meeting his squad leader today, Kajukiro quickly got dressed, left some food out for Scooter, along with a note informing the skunk when he's expected to return (Yes, Scooter can read.), and left the house. Kajukiro headed back to the academy, where he was supposed to meet his squad leader with his teammates in one of the rooms.

Once Kajukiro entered his assigned room, Kenshi greeted, "Oh, Kajukiro, there you are. We've been wondering if you'd show up before our new sensei." Kajukiro returned the greeting with a smile and a tip of his hat. Shinji didn't show any interest in Kajukiro, as usual. Shinji's jealousy for Kajukiro was still there, although Kajukiro never really looked upon anyone as inferior.

Kajukiro walked up to the window and waited with the rest of his team. Only seconds had passed before Rai walked in. Once he did, Shinji leaned over to Kenshi and whispered, "So it's true, he is our squad leader after all." Right away, Kajukiro knew that this guy was going to be merciless to all three of them. However, Kajukiro was used to being with a tough sensei, having been on Kusabana's squad for six years when Hanagakure was still around.

Rai took one look at all three of them and thought aloud, "My first impression…only the one sitting at the window has what it takes to be a real ninja." At these words, Kenshi and Shinji glanced over at Kajukiro, who gave a confident smile. Kusabana said the exact same thing when he first met her. The only thing missing was the idea of being on the same team with an eccentric girl who liked to dance as she fought her battles.

A while later, all four of them were on a balcony, and Rai was facing toward his squad as he said, "Alright, as a Jounin leader, I am required to ask for your personal information. Although, if things went my way, we'd go straight to the little test I have planned for you three. Anyway, please tell me your name and you ninja way."

Kajukiro went first as he replied, "My name is Kajukiro; and my ninja way is to protect this village and its villagers, even at the cost of my own life." Rai nodded respectfully before turning to Kenshi, who had replied, "My name is Kenshi, and my ninja way is to do the best I can." Rai nodded in approval toward Kenshi as well. Rai had then turned to Shinji, who replied, "The name's Shinji, and my ninja way is to win every battle I fight. When I fight, I don't fight for my village, or for the savoring of knowing I did my best. No, I fight to win."

Rai leaned in and replied to Shinji's explanation of his shinobi way, "Those who seek nothing but victory are often disappointed." Shinji gave a smirk and replied, "With my bloodline abilities, I'm capable of pulling it off." Kajukiro leaned back and said to Shinji, "That's not what he meant." Shinji looked at Kajukiro before replying, "Alright, smart guy, what did he mean then?"

Kajukiro grinned before explaining, "Lets say you do live by you shinobi way. What then? What will you do after you've beaten everybody? Your ninja way is too short. As I said a few days ago, a ninja way is something you fight for, something you promise yourself; that kind of commitment is life-long, and your shinobi way should be as well."

Rai nodded and replied, "That's it exactly." Rai couldn't help but have, at least, some faith in Kajukiro's career as a ninja. With Kenshi and Shinji, however, Rai found them hopeless; Kenshi showed potential, but not the will to show it, and Shinji was just plain clueless, it was almost like he had no idea what he was really doing. Rai knew Kajukiro's history, and knew that he was the most experienced out of all three of them because of it, which explained why he knew so much more about the ninja world than his two teammates.

Shinji began grinding his teeth in anger. He was getting sick of Kajukiro always showing him up. Shinji suddenly couldn't contain his anger and snapped as he sprang to his feet, pointed to Kajukiro, showing that he was directing his words toward him, and shouted, "I'm getting sick and tired of you always showing me up! Mark my words; I'll prove that I'm not inferior to you one day!"

Kajukiro looked at Shinji, listening to every word. "Is that why you've been holding this grudge against me, because you think I think you're inferior to me?" Kajukiro gave a sigh as he explained, "Look, Shinji, I don't think you're inferior to me. I don't think anyone's inferior to me, really. So I'm a little smarter than you or Kenshi, that doesn't make me superior. There are probably tons of things you two would be able to do that I would never be able to. We're all individuals, and as individuals we all have our strong and weak points. It is because of this that no one is inferior or superior to another. At least, that's how I view things."

Rai, Shinji, and Kenshi all looked at Kajukiro with astonishment; he was only nineteen, yet so wise and aware. Shinji stopped pointing at Kajukiro and was no longer angry at him. Actually, for the first time, Shinji started to appreciate Kajukiro. Shinji sat back down and apologized for his ignorance and arrogance. "It's alright. Plenty of people might have done the same thing in your position. You'll discover your ninja way sooner or later, everyone does at some point in their lives."

Rai couldn't believe it, he hadn't even informed his squad about the bell test planned for them, and yet they still managed to get along all on their own. However, this would not stop Rai from giving them the bell test, he still needed to see if they could contain their new friendship and trust one another when the situation called for it. "Well, glad to see you guys can manage to get along on your own without my help. However, I still need to test if you three are worthy to become my squad."

Kajukiro turned his attention to Rai and asked, "What did you have I mind?" Rai gave a slight chuckle before answering, "The bell test." When those three words reached his ears, Kajukiro actually looked fearful. He had gone through the bell test once before, when he had just become a Gennin in Hanagakure and failed it miserably. Rai took notice of Kajukiro's reaction and said, "Ah, I see you've already gone through it in your youth…probably one of the few times you actually failed at something too, judging by your reaction."

Kenshi and Shinji looked at Kajukiro had became nervous too; if Kajukiro was nervous about it, the perhaps they should be too. Rai gave a sinister grin as he informed all three of them, "The test will begin at six thirty, tomorrow morning." With that, Rai got up and left, leaving the other three there. Kenshi and Shinji looked at Kajukiro again, who was looking down and appeared a bit worried at taking the bell test again. "K-Kajukiro-kun?" Kenshi questioned, clearly worried about him. Kajukiro looked at her, put on a fake smile, and reassured, "I'll be fine."

Shinji didn't ask Kajukiro any questions. Here was the number one ninja in Konoha, afraid of a bell test. Was this test really that difficult? Was it so tough that Kajukiro actually managed to fail it? Shinji was even more nervous at the fact that Kajukiro really did seem to be afraid of the bell test; he had gotten so used to Kajukiro being fearless all the time. Anything Kajukiro was afraid of had to of been much tougher than Rai.

Kajukiro was the most nervous of the three; he knew exactly what the bell test was, and was amazed that he was still made a ninja, even after failing it. Of course, he tried to calm himself down by reminding himself that he was much better now than he was seven years ago, but this was all in vain, as he had actually become even more nervous in this attempt. He had to keep his composure; he couldn't let his team see him like this. Kajukiro got up and headed home without a word. The others didn't follow, knowing that Kajukiro needed some time alone to get prepared for tomorrow.

Once he was home, Kajukiro was greeted by Scooter. However, the anthropomorphous little skunk recognized that something was bothering his owner and tried to cheer him up with a loving nudge. Kajukiro felt Scooter's nudging, picked him up, and gave him a little hug. "You're so cute." Kajukiro commented with a smile. Scooter trilled in happiness before looking at Kajukiro thoughtfully for a moment. Soon after this, Scooter put on a playfully sinister grin before jumping out of Kajukiro's hands and onto his head.

Caught by surprise, Kajukiro shouted and fell back. Kajukiro sat up as Scooter peeked over his head, looking into his eyes, and tilting his head cutely. Kajukiro looked at Scooter for a moment before laughing heartfully. Scooter's response to this was another happy trill and a loving smile. "Oh, Scooter, you can be a very silly skunk sometimes." Kajukiro commented once he managed to stop his laughter. Scooter replied with a playful glare, followed by sticking his tongue out at Kajukiro before hopping off his head.

Kajukiro stood up ad sat at the table. It had been a very long time since he laughed like that. Of course, only Scooter could bring this much joy out of him intentionally. Even after all these years, Scooter was still the cute, lovable skunk he had always been. Kajukiro wasn't so nervous about tomorrow now; he knew he might fail the bell test again, but even if he did, he would still find a way to become a ninja.

Kajukiro continued to give it some thought, and finally discovered a way to continue being a shinobi without actually passing the test; defeat Rai during the test itself, helping his two teammates pass in the process. After figuring this out, he turned to Scooter, who went back to eating his food, and said, "Thanks, Scooter, I think I know what to do now." Scooter didn't really know what Kajukiro was talking about, but still smiled happily, grateful that he could help his owner in any way he could.

The next day, at six in the morning, Kajukiro, Shinji, and Kenshi had met in the area where Rai had informed them to meet when they left the balcony. Shinji and Kenshi looked a bit exhausted, but Kajukiro was used to waking up early, thanks to all those attempts to get some extra training done before school.

Rai was waiting for them, and informed them, when they arrived, "You three are right on time; I'm impressed. But don't let this get to your little heads; this test is one of our most difficult exercises in Konoha, only two full teams have been known to pass it. Despite how simple it may sound, it'll be clear, very quickly, that there's nothing easy about this test." Rai pulled out two bells, tied them to his belt, and instructed, "If any of you three can take one of these bells from me, you pass the test and will remain on this squad. Anyone who does not manage to get a bell before the time limit ends will be set back to the academy for further training."

Kenshi and Shinji looked at Kajukiro again. True, the test did sound very simple and easy, but Rai had exceeded most Konoha Jounin in skill, intelligence, and chakra control. How were they supposed to get the bells from him? It obviously wasn't going to be the easiest task. Rai continued, "The test will begin once the sun rises and will end at noon. So, take your places, and try to come at me once the sun comes up."

With that, Kajukiro, Kenshi, and Shinji split up into three directions and hid. Kajukiro looked for Shinji and Kenshi while perfectly concealed in his hiding place. He had to inform them of his plan. However, they obviously knew a thing or two about hiding as well, for they were also perfectly concealed as Kajukiro couldn't spot them anywhere. The sun finally began to rise when he spotted the glare of their headbands. Surprisingly, they were right next to each other.

Kajukiro hopped down from the treetop he was hiding in and dashed over to Kenshi ad Shinji's location, still managing to keep himself hidden from Rai. Once he arrived at their location, he laid down with them in hiding and informed, "I think I know how all three of us can pass this test." Kenshi and Shinji turned their attention to Kajukiro, all ears on what this plan of his was. "If memory serves, all Konoha Jounin mainly use speed and perfect chakra control during combat. Therefore, we need someone with the speed and chakra control to fight Rai."

They both nodded, but Kenshi replied, "We all know you have the chakra control, Kajukiro-kun, but…which one of us has the speed?" Kajukiro gave a sigh before answering, "I have the speed as well. Heck, I'm actually able to get from the training grounds to the academy in under a minute; that's over half a mile." Kenshi and Shinji looked at Kajukiro in astonishment; they knew he was fast but not that fast. "So, the plan is I fight him, and you two get a bell when he's down."

They both thought this over, ad reminded him, "But…there's only two bells and three of us. How're you going to pass if you don't get a bell?" Kajukiro just gave a confident smile and simply replied, "Trust me." Upon hearing these two words, his teammates nodded and smiled with him. Kajukiro was smart, smarter than most Jounin even; so if he found a way, it was flawless, without a doubt.

Rai awaited them, still unable to locate any of his three squad members. He waited patiently as the sun continued to rise. He wondered who his opponent would be, but hoped that it wasn't Kajukiro. Although Kajukiro was just a Gennin, Rai did a background check on him and discovered that his name was under consideration to become a Hanagakure Jounin before it burned down. Hanagakure shinobi had actually surpassed Konoha shinobi in every way. So, Kajukiro could, very well, have a considerable chance of defeating Rai in battle.

The sun had fully risen and, to Rai's fear, Kajukiro walked out and went into a combat stance. "So, you're my first opponent?" Kajukiro remained in his stance as he replied, "I'm your only opponent; the others are just going to watch until I say otherwise." Rai gave a small chuckle before shrugging his shoulders and admitting, "To be honest, I was actually afraid that you were going to be the one to fight me."

Kajukiro grinned confidently and replied, "I'm flattered." However, Rai wasn't listening as he continued, "However, if you're THIS confident in yourself, there's a chance that could get in the way, and the victory would be handed over to me." Kajukiro kept his confident grin and kept a hidden hand on one of his kunai knives as he replied, "Well, we'll see what the outcome will be soon enough, won't we?" Rai pulled out a kunai knife, got into a combat stance as well, and replied, "Yes…I suppose we will." After a few moments of a stare-down, the two shinobi dashed at each other and the fight began.

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Chapter 4: Kajukiro Vs Rai The Bell Te

-1Kajukiro and Rai dashed at each other, ready for battle. As Rai swung his kunai at Kajukiro in a slashing motion, Kajukiro pulled out his hidden kunai and blocked Rai's attack with it. However, Rai appeared to have anticipated this move as he pulled out another kunai and swung at Kajukiro with this one instead. Reacting almost instantaneously, Kajukiro jumped over Rai's second kunai, flipped in the air, and kicked his chin, sending him flying.

Once Kajukiro was back on his feet, he dashed after Rai. Kajukiro made his attempt to slash Rai now, but Rai flipped in mid-air to get in the proper posture and blocked Kajukiro's attack. The attack went through Rai's defense but the fact that he blocked it, caused Kajukiro to miss him completely. Kajukiro continued his attack as he swung the opposite way now. Rai blocked this attack as well with his other kunai, also allowing it to break through and forcing Kajukiro to miss.

Rai landed on his feet and threw both of his kunai at Kajukiro the instant he stopped. Kajukiro spun around, pulled out his sword, sliced Rai's kunai in half, and sheathed it before he muttered, "Amateur," and continued dashing toward Rai. Kajukiro jabbed his kunai at Rai; however, Rai jumped to the side and dodged it completely. Kajukiro's kunai kept going forward and impaled the tree that was right behind Rai before his dodge. With Kajukiro distracted for the split second, Rai spotted his opportunity and punched Kajukiro, causing him to stumble away from his kunai, which was now lodged in a tree.

As Kajukiro recovered from Rai's punch, Rai couldn't help but consider that Kajukiro just may have what it takes to defeat him. After all, that kunai did come close. Kajukiro, however, got in his combative stance and noticed a very small wire coming out from under the sleeve of the hand he originally held the kunai in. Kajukiro smirked in confidence as he came up with another idea. Kajukiro got out of his combative stance, dashed around Rai, and pulled hard on the wire when the position was right, causing the wire to shoot up and cut Rai's chin, before removing the kunai from the tree.

As the wire began to zip back into Kajukiro's sleeve, Rai shouted in pain and backed away from the wire just in time, as the kunai flew past him, missing him by centimeters. The Kunai zipped back under Kajukiro's sleeve as Rai held his chin before removing his hand from it. Rai looked at his hand and noticed that it was dripping with blood from his chin. Rai shot a glare at Kajukiro and thought to himself, "_This kid's clever. Judging by his expressions, he just came up with that attack in mere seconds. If I didn't back up when I did…well, it is one of the qualifications of this test to attack your sensei with the intent to kill, he's definitely take this test before._"

Kajukiro kept his confident grin but decided to toe it down a bit; if he kept this up, his sensei would end up dead, and that didn't fit well with Kajukiro. After all, he wanted to defeat Rai, not kill him. Kajukiro returned to his combative stance; feeling that he should be going a little easier on Rai so as not to kill him accidentally. Rai, however, decided to take it up a notch as he pulled out another kunai and said, "You're a master of speed and intelligence, Kajukiro. However, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve as well. I must admit though, you're the only Gennin that I've ever had trouble beating in a fight."

Kajukiro kept his confident smirk and replied, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Rai-sensei; the battle's not over yet, neither of us know who will be victorious." Rai nodded and replied, "As intelligent as ever. However, I know for a fact that I will win; my kunai-style jutsu has never failed me before, and it's not likely to now." Kajukiro was still confident, he was known as a kunai master back in Hanagakure. Whatever Rai was planning, Kajukiro could handle it.

Rai dashed at Kajukiro and swung his kunai in a slashing motion. Kajukiro simply guided Rai's kunai safely away from him with his expertly performed Hanagakure-style taijutsu. As if continuing into a combo, Kajukiro shifted the hand he used to guide Rai's attack away to an offensive position and thrust it into Rai's face while jamming his other hand into Rai's wrist and controlling his wrist tendons, forcing him to drop his kunai and stumble back. Kajukiro spun around and kicked at Rai. However, Rai appeared to have known that Kajukiro was going to do this, as he grabbed his foot, stopping the attack before it could continue.

Rai threw Kajukiro behind him and begun to spin around rapidly, throwing five kunai at Kajukiro every split second, and named the technique aloud, "Storm of Kunai!" Kajukiro saw hundreds of kunai knives flying at him all at once. Keeping his composure, he managed to perform six hand seals in mid-air while flipping into landing position. Kajukiro performed the sixth seal just before lading on the ground; once he did so, he plated his hand to the ground as he slid back. The kunai were closing in as something shot out of the ground, creating a huge veil of dust that blocked all vision.

When the dust had cleared, Kajukiro was fine, as numerous giant roots covered in thorns and kunai were sticking out of the ground and cramped together in front of him. They had shielded Kajukiro from every single one of Rai's kunai. Kajukiro still had his hand planted on the ground as he gave a confident smirk and announced the name of the jutsu, "Kajukiro specialty invention one-Root Defense Jutsu!" Upon hearing the title, Rai looked rather surprised. He had done research on every single jutsu used by Hanagakure shinobi, and there was no Root Defense Jutsu anywhere on the records. This meant that Kajukiro must've invented this technique himself.

Kajukiro shifted the hand that was still planted o the ground and exclaimed, "Jutsu transition-Root Frenzy Jutsu!" As soon as he said this, the roots that had defended him, suddenly spread apart, forcing most of the kunai to fall off of them. They had the shot toward Rai, who was utterly bewildered as he thought to himself, "_A jutsu transition? That's impossible! It makes no sense!_" Rai jumped back and landed of the branch of a tree as the roots reached him.

He knew that the root frenzy jutsu was only a threat if he was on the ground. Once he deemed himself safe, he continued his thoughts, "_This kid's giving me a run for my money. He might actually beat me. I can see why his name would be put under Jounin consideration; he's kept his composure throughout the entire battle, he's clever and cunning, he is the real deal, he is a true shinobi._"

Kajukiro noticed that Rai was in a safe zone from his Root Frenzy jutsu and removed his hand from the ground, canceling out his jutsu and sending the roots back into the ground. Rai, however, stayed in the tree as he asked Kajukiro, "What was that? Root-Defense Jutsu; that jutsu is not in the list of ninjutsu or genjutsu used by Hanagakure shinobi. And another thing, what the hell's a jutsu transition? I've never heard of such a thing in all my years as a Jounin."

Kajukiro grinned and answered, "The root defense jutsu is a modified version of the root frenzy jutsu; I simply changed the properties to be defensive instead of offensive. For some reason, no other Hanagakure shinobi had thought of this, and thus, the jutsu became my own. As for the jutsu transition, well, that's rather simple as well. The root defense jutsu was originally an offensive jutsu. Since I changed its properties to be defensive instead, I can reverse the process while the jutsu itself is still in use. Then it stops protecting me and goes after my opponent, like it was originally intended for. This is what I call a Jutsu Transition."

Rai was amazed at Kajukiro's creativity and chakra control. However, he was still aware that he and Kajukiro were in a battle as he performed three hand seals and said, "Excellent work, Kajukiro-kun, you're the toughest opponent I've ever faced. However, you must remember, the fight isn't over yet and I still have a few tricks as well. Kunai style-Deadly Ground Jutsu!"

Kajukiro felt the ground shake underneath him and jumped onto the branch of the tree behind him in a successful attempt to dodge the hundreds of kunai knives suddenly sticking out of the ground. Kajukiro stared bewildered at the kunai knives for a moment, but quickly figured out how Rai had made this possible. Rai had used Kajukiro's Root Defense jutsu to bring his kunai into the ground. Before this, Rai added a bit of his chakra into each kunai he threw for his Storm of Kunai attack. This way, he was able to control his kunai, even though he's not touching them or the ground.

At the other end of the area, Rai chuckled and thought, "_Come on, Kajukiro. If you figure out a way to get out of this one, I might as well recommend you to become a Jounin to Lady Tsunade myself._" Rai was confident for a good reason; nobody he had ever faced was able to escape this attack, let alone survive it. Was Rai trying to kill Kajukiro? No, just looking to get back at him for the close call earlier.

Kajukiro pondered his situation for a few moments before giving a sly smirk and jumping toward Rai. Rai chuckled once more and focused even harder on his chakra. As he did this, the kunai shot out of the ground and flew toward Kajukiro. Kajukiro simply flipped up-side down, curled into a ball-like shape, and spun around rapidly. Once the kunai reached him, they simply bounced off of him on contact. Rai was astonished at the sight of this; he had doe extensive research on Hanagakure, and Kajukiro in general, but had never learned of whatever was protecting Kajukiro from his kunai jutsu.

Once the Kunai stopped coming, Kajukiro went back to his original position and landed on the ground in front of the tree Rai was on. Rai didn't say anything; the look on his face was enough to show Kajukiro what he wanted to know. Kajukiro felt obviously obliged to answer as he pulled his cloak back, unzipped the jacket he was wearing underneath, and opened it up to reveal that the entire interior of the torso of the jacket had been lined with kunai knives, giving Kajukiro hidden armor. "My dad's jacket has saved my life on several occasions, and today is no different." Kajukiro informed a stunned and frustrated Rai.

Rai jumped down from his tree, pulled out a single kunai, and dashed at Kajukiro, who quickly zipped up his jacket and pulled out a kunai hidden under his sleeve just in time to defend himself from Rai's attack. Kajukiro broke the weapon-lock and kicked Rai away. Rai stumbled back but charged at Kajukiro again, attacking him once more. Kajukiro deflected the attack with his own kunai, forcing Rai to spin around. Kajukiro spun around as well as Rai continued to attack Kajukiro in a stab-like motion. However, Kajukiro defended himself in the most unusual way as he stopped Rai's kunai with his own, tip-to-tip.

Rai was, once again, amazed at Kajukiro's skills as he thought, "_His accuracy…it's incredible, I've never met anyone who was able to defend himself tip-to-tip like this; and on a single attempt too._" Rai looked at Kajukiro and noticed something that made this single defense attempt of his even more amazing. He wasn't looking. Eyes closed and all, Kajukiro proved to Rai that his accuracy had gone beyond pin-point. "You may have done your research on me, Rai-sensei, but don't think that knowing what I can do will give you the win over this battle." Kajukiro commented. Rai did not reply.

Kajukiro broke this weapon lock and spun around to face Rai, only to be kicked up into the air. Rai made another attempt to perform his Storm of Kunai again, but Kajukiro wasn't about to allow him to do so, as he pulled out a black and rough-looking kunai from a belt under his cloak. Kajukiro threw the kunai at a rock near Rai. Upon striking the stone, sparks emitted and the kunai actually exploded.

The explosion wasn't deadly, but it was enough to stop Rai's attack and send him flying a couple of feet. Kajukiro landed somewhere in the trees surrounding the arena and hid in the tree line. Rai stood up and looked around, unable to fid Kajukiro anywhere. Then, from behind him, two kunai emerged and flew past him, both of them getting wedged in two separate trees in the distance.

Rai sighed with relief when he realized that the kunai had missed him. He chuckled before turning around and saying, "You--" However, before he could finish, he was stuck with a two-foot kick from Kajukiro, who used the momentum of his wire zip-line devices hidden under his cloak to increase the damage.

The zip lines were still reeling, allowing Kajukiro to push Rai into a tree. Once the attack was finished, Kajukiro yanked the two kunai out from the trees, flipped off of Rai, got in a combative position as the kunai zipped back under his sleeves, and asked, as if he knew what Rai was going to say, "Who said I was aiming for you?"

Rai's response was a weak chuckle before stepping away from the tree. Rai was honored to fight with someone who was this tough and know that he would lead the team he was on. Rai pulled out a kunai and muttered, "You're an incredible opponent, Kajukiro. Your confidence before this fight began is justifiable. However, I still have both bells and I'm still standing. This fight isn't over yet."

Kajukiro nodded and replied, "Maybe my odds would improve if there were more of me." With that, Kajukiro suddenly reached in his cloak and pulled out ten flower petals, and spread them in the air surrounding him. After this, Kajukiro performed one single had sign and exclaimed, "Kajukiro specialty invention two-Petal Clone Jutsu!" In numerous puffs of smoke, all of the flower petals became copies of Kajukiro. This time, Rai wasn't surprised. By now, he knew that Kajukiro always had some sort of trick up his sleeve.

Rai rushed into the army of Kajukiros and slashed at one of them. When the attack hit, the Kajukiro copy suddenly turned into flower petals. As Rai noticed this, he thought to himself, "_Interesting, this is a lot like Konoha's Shadow Clone Jutsu; where the clone would vanish in a puff of smoke if attacked or cancelled out. However, this is obviously a flower-style version of it. However, this jutsu of his is also one I've never heard about. This kid could bring a new age of shinobi, with brand-new jutsu and even improved accuracy. He could become a legend one day._"

Rai quickly spun around and stabbed the Kajukiro on his left. This one had also burst into flower petals. This was followed by a kick to another fake Kajukiro, and then a slash, followed by another slash, then a punch to the sixth one. The attack continued on in a combo formation, but the Kajukiros appeared to be fighting back.

The five Kajukiro rushed in, in an attempt to ambush Rai. However, Rai countered all of their attacks. Clearly, clones could never be as good as the original. One Kajukiro jabbed a Kunai at Rai, but Rai simply spun around to dodge it and slashed his back. Another Kajukiro tried to kick Rai, but he caught the kick and threw Kajukiro into another one. As the tenth Kajukiro charged at Rai, he simply kneed this Kajukiro in the gut, and the fake Kajukiro turned into flower petals and those petals flew in the wind with all the others.

Rai had managed to hit only the petal clones of Kajukiro as there was only one Kajukiro left. However, because he was in the middle of a combo-like attack, Rai couldn't stop himself from throwing the kunai at the final one. Kajukiro was struck in the back and began to fall when he suddenly turned into flower petals too, which quickly blew away with the wind.

Rai was stunned, but began looking around for Kajukiro when he suddenly received a kick to the head from above. He stumbled back as Kajukiro flipped off Rai's head, landed on his own feet, quickly turned around, and tackled Rai to the ground, keeping both hands pinned with one of his own, a foot to pin his legs down as well, and used his free hand to hold a kunai to Rai's throat as he turned to the bushes and shouted, "Shinji, Kenshi, now!"

Right on cue, Kenshi and Shinji ran out of the bushes and took the bells from Rai while he was down. Rai grinned more than ever as he thought aloud, "This whole fight was to make sure that they passed. You came up with this whole plan and explained it to them. They trusted you that you wouldn't get a bell for yourself, but that you would willingly fail the test just to make sure that the passed. Kenshi, Shinji, you pass."

Kenshi and Shinji were overjoyed to hear this news. However, as Kajukiro released Rai and allowed him to stand, Rai looked at Kajukiro and asked, "However, there's one thing I want to know; why fail to retrieve a bell willingly, Kajukiro? Why not take a bell for yourself in mid-fight? You certainly had plenty of chances." Kajukiro just gave a chuckle and answered, "Guess I'm just the kind of guy who's willing to sacrifice himself for his comrades."

Rai nodded approvingly before turning to the others and informing, "Well, you two managed to get the bells so you pass the objective. However, although Kajukiro didn't complete the objective, his skills in combat are far too valuable to go to waste. For this reason, I have no choice but to pass him too. So, Team Rai, the missions are swarming in, so we'll have to get started on them first thing tomorrow. Until then, return to your social lives until I summon you. Farewell." And with that, Rai vanished.

Kenshi immediately turned to Kajukiro and said, "You knew he'd pass you if you showed him you were capable. How?" Kajukiro simply smiled and answered, "Simple, the same thing worked with my old sensei." Shinji chuckled at Kajukiro's intelligence while Kenshi just stared at him adoringly. Kajukiro suddenly turned to his team and said, "Race you both to the village!" and dashed away. "Hey, no fair!" Kenshi and Shinji shouted in unison before dashing after him.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage tower, Rai was reporting his team's progress to Lady Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, Squad 34 has become Team Rai." Tsunade asked, "So, they all passed then?" Rai nodded. Tsunade smiled happily and replied, "Excellent. I'll give you your missions tomorrow then. You may leave." Rai, however, stayed there. Tsunade looked at him and asked, "Is there something else?"

Rai nodded and answered, "I would like to request for Kunazama, Kajukiro to become a Jounin; his skills are incredible, and he even defeated me in battle." Tsunade appeared appalled by the news. However, she gave it some thought and answered, "Request denied." Rai looked shocked and her and began to argue, "But--" However, he was silenced as Tsunade shot a glare at him.

Rai flinched in fear and looked down. Tsunade continued, "If you're so sure he's capable, then put him in the Chuunin exams. I'll watch his progress first-hand and will make my decision when the exams are over." Rai nodded and replied, "Yes M'amm." and left with that. Tsunade turned to the large window behind her that overlooked the entire village and muttered, "That Kajukiro…he's drawing all sorts of attention to himself. It's only a matter of time before he becomes one of the best ninja of the five shinobi lands."


End file.
